The Finnish sniper has increased his production since being promoted to the top line and he’ll see a lot of Wild defenceman Ryan Suter on Saturday. Suter has six goals and 28 points in 44 games while averaging just under 27 minutes per season and is on the shutdown pairing with Jared Spurgeon.

Keys to the game

Keep it rolling

It’s the fourth and final meeting of the season between the Central Division rivals and the Jets have an opportunity to secure a series sweep against the Wild. In the three prior meetings, the Jets have outscored the Wild 13-6 in those previous games – which included a 7-2 win on Nov. 27 in Winnipeg.

Minnesota connection

Two members of the Jets leadership group have strong ties to the Minnesota area and they’ve also been productive against the Wild during the course of their careers. Dustin Byfuglien, who was born in Roseau, Minn., has eight goals and 31 points in 38 games, while Wheeler, who starred for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and grew up in Robbinsdale, Minn., has 11 goals and 25 points in 29 games against the Wild.

Make it special

Although the Jets have the second-ranked power play in the NHL, it hasn’t been as efficient on the road, the Jets are in the middle of the pack on the road (19.5 % compared to 25.6 % overall) and the Wild boast the top home penalty killing efficiency (92.8 %).

Speaking of rolling

Veteran centre Eric Staal continues to pace the Wild in both goals (19) and points (37) in 44 games, numbers which helped him get selected to the Central Division All-star game earlier this week. Staal, who played for Jets head coach Paul Maurice with the Carolina Hurricanes, has 26 goals and 62 points in 72 games against Winnipeg during his career.

Dubnyk riding the wave

Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk has given up two goals or fewer in four of his past five starts and is coming off a 34-save performance against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday at United Center. Dubnyk is 16-9-2 with a 2.66 goals-against average and .918 save % in 28 games this season, but is just 7-8-1 with a 2.87 goals-against average and .900 save % in 16 career games against the Jets. Saturday will be Dubnyk’s 200th appearance since making his Wild debut on Dec. 15 of 2015. During that span, he leads all goalies in games played and shutouts (18), is tied for first in save % (.923) and ranks second in wins (115) and goals-against average (2.24).

This Week's Flyers

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